Five Time Five
by Madre de Muerte
Summary: While exploring a friendly new planet Daniel finds the words ‘5 x 5’ engraved on a wall, the rest of the words long faded, he tries to decipher the meaning with help from the locales.


**Title: Five Times Five**

**Author: Effie**

**Rating: FR7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 nor do I own Buffy the Vampire. **

**Fandoms: Stargate SG-1 and Buffy**

**Genre: General**

**Characters: Doctor Daniel Jackson, OCs, and Faith**

**Summary: While exploring a friendly new planet Daniel finds the words '5 x 5' engraved on a wall, the rest of the words long faded, he tries to decipher the meaning with help from the locales.**

**Word Count: 1069 **

Daniel walked along the ruins of the temple. Most of the writing had faded long ago to the ravages of time. The stone was weathered but cared for. He wondered what had been on the walls that had caused the locals to ignore the damage but preserve the building with great care. He was about to turn back around in order to explore the inside when something caught his sight.

On the bottom of the building something was intact, maybe having been preserved by someone. Daniel bent down to look at the wall near the foundation. It was slightly dirty but the words were clear and in English. Engraved in the wall were the numbers '5 x 5'. Daniel looked around, hoping that one of the locals following him was near enough to ask what they were about but he saw no sight of them.

Frowning, he walked toward the entrance of the temple. He saw his guards talking to each other. They turned around to stare at him.

"Would it bother you if I ask you something?" He asked them.

"It depends on what you're going to ask." The oldest one answered.

"On the back of your temple there's a mathematical equation. Five ex Five, five times five. Now unless someone was doing some pretty basic math on the stones very recently it's been on there for a while for a specific reason. I'm an archeologist I like to study different civilizations. I'd like a better understanding of your culture." He said carefully wording his sentences.

The oldest man nodded. "Come with us and you'll understand." Daniel nodded and looked around for Jack. He spotted him speaking to a general and the mayor of the city. He motioned toward the temple; Jack nodded. Daniel turned to follow the man that had started walking up the steps of the ruin.

"In our culture faith is very important." The man said. "We have so many phrases that are attributed to faith, in honor or in infamy. It's hard to explain to an outsider." Said the man. "We take faith very seriously and an insult to faith is an insult on our culture." He said easily.

Daniel nodded wondering how he had missed that his culture was overtly religious or devout to some religion. He hadn't seen anyone praying nor had he seen anything that usually indicated a faith system.

"So this temple is," He asked as they climbed the steps.

"This is the Temple of Faith." One of the younger men answered. "When people have doubt they come here and are reassured that faith rests with us." Daniel nodded hoping he wasn't about to be brainwashed by some alien technology.

Danile entered and saw several people in the building. There were women and men socializing. Something that had struck Daniel as odd was that men and women were more or less equal in most areas of society. Although they weren't technologically stagnant the technology present was around the late 1800s relative to earth. Things were out of place but to his knowledge gender roles usually didn't differ that greatly.

Daniel saw in the middle of the temple what looked like an altar. Daniel was quiet as the men led him toward the altar in silence. A few feet from it the men stopped and so did Daniel.

"Have a look at faith," said the oldest man. Daniel hesitated but then walked the last remaining feet.

He saw that the altar was in fact a tomb. The name Faith was written in the stone with the epitaph "5 x 5" along with something he had trouble deciphering. After a moment he realized it was something along the lines of 'hero and savior'. Suddenly 'faith' turned into 'Faith' in the previous conversation. Daniel examined the tomb and found that on the side there ran a list of names. He began to read it from a random name.

_Sophia, daughter of Eros of Telos. Emilia, daughter of Daphne of Ida. Elene, daughter of Elias of Melos, Georgia, daughter of…._

The names continued in the same pattern. There were dozens of names, all female and Daniel knew he was missing something. He decided to approach his guards.

"Faith was a woman, a real woman?" He asked careful to phrase that.

The men nodded. "She led our people to freedom. On the edge of death she was asked how she faired and in her own blood she wrote those words you found at the back of the temple. Our people have since engraved it in order to preserve them." He hesitated. "Those girls on the tomb are our Faith's legacy. They died in honor and defending our people from the dangers of the universe." He said bowing his head in honor.

"They are Amazons," One of the younger men said. Daniel was nearly bowled over with excitement. Amazons, this culture had descended from the Greeks but most of the ancient mythology hardly seemed present and now with the mention of Amazon Daniel remembered the story of Hippolyta and other stories.

"We call them Amazons, the word that Faith used for herself may have sounded fair in her speech but to us it does not honor her nor the girls." Said another.

"What did she call herself, if you don't mind me asking?" Daniel asked.

"Slayer." Daniel opened his mouth to ask for an elaboration when he was cut off.

"Oh, and Dr. Jackson." Daniel turned to the oldest man. "It is not a basic math equation that she wrote down. It does not read 'Five times five' but "Five by five'. Our Faith was saying that she was fine." The men nodded.

"She died shortly after, after the victory." One of the younger ones said.

"Yes," said the oldest. "and now it has come to mean many things in our culture."

"Doctor Jackson, why do you look so puzzled?"

"Five by five has the same meaning in my culture. It's not as wide spread but it's not rare." He answered. The men looked surprised.

"I believe then that we can learn much from each other's culture" said the oldest man. "Come, we can talk about this outside. We are disturbing visitors to the shrine."

Daniel nodded. He wanted to know more about this Faith and her life. Daniel had a feeling things were going to more familiar with her life than that small phrase.


End file.
